RTX’s Pratt & Whitney business has been awarded a USD 1.6 billion (EUR 1.37 billion) undefinitised contract action by the Pentagon for sustainment of F135 engines, which power all three variants of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, RTX announced on 2 December 2025.
The contract funds key sustainment activities, including depot-level maintenance and repair, replenishment of spare parts, material management, propulsion system integration, engineering support, and software sustainment for the US and international customers.
“Investing in F135 sustainment keeps allied forces ready to meet current and future threats,” Kinda Eastwood, vice president of F135 sustainment at Pratt & Whitney, was quoted as saying in an RTX press release. “F-35 operators worldwide depend on the F135 for the power and performance their missions demand, and this award helps us maintain readiness rates that enable the warfighter to accomplish their critical missions.”
To ensure F-35 mission readiness the F135 sustainment network supports an expansive infrastructure, including multiple global depot facilities, 39 bases and 12 ships worldwide.
“By leveraging its globally distributed maintenance, logistics and technical expertise, Pratt & Whitney is advancing the F135 enterprise to deliver greater agility, resilience and support wherever the F-35 operates,” the company stated.
Pratt & Whitney has delivered more than 1,300 F135 production engines to a global F-35 enterprise that includes 20 allied nations. Looking ahead, the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) will leverage this sustainment network to deliver a fleet-wide upgrade for the powerplant. Designed to be easily retrofittable in all F-35 variants, ECU will offer all global F-35 operators the additional power and thermal management capacity needed to enable next-generation weapon systems and sensors.
